Reading-to-learn and Writing-to-learn Science Activities for the Elementary School Classroom

Many elementary school teachers realize that more and more hands-on activities is not the solution to unsatisfactory science literacy. The process-product debate of the 1960s reform in which alphabet science programs exclusively promoted hands-on concrete discovery activities was not successful for about 75% of elementary school teachers. The uncertainty of unstructured explorations, the discount of language in favor of sensory experiences, and the complex logistics of manipulatives and small groups stressed the culture of the generalist elementary teachers and their classroom environments.